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A Prelude to Battle: Deontay Wilder vs Chris Arreola

Deontay Wilder vs Chris Arreola comes at a time where the world heavyweight division is red hot once again.

Deontay Wilder will defend his WBC Championship against Chris Arreola Saturday July 16th in Birmingham, AL. First things first; this fight comes nowhere near the excitement of the formerly proposed “Wilder vs. Povetkin”.

At this point the Povetkin scandal is well documented and need not be mentioned again.

It is worth noting that it will be highly interesting to see how future plans of Wilder/Povetkin play out, especially with Povetkin being recently cleared by WADA (World Anti-Doping Association).

The fight itself should be very entertaining, for however long it lasts. While not a top tier heavyweight by any means, Arreola should be a legitimate yet passable test for Wilder.

Arreola is hoping to once again channel the spirit he possessed when he impressively thrashed then rising heavyweight prospect Seth Mitchell, battering him inside one round:

(Via TheProdigy YouTube channel):

For Wilder, he is simply looking to keep winning and to keep improving. Though still a bit rough around the edges, Wilder has gradually, more or less improved his skills after winning the belt from Stiverne last year.

There is still work to do as far as his development is concerned, but as long as he wins while at the same time stepping up his competition there will be little to criticize.

Wilder is coming off of a career-long 6 month layoff after knocking out the slick Artur Spzilka in devastating fashion in the 9th round at the Barclays Center last January.

Wilder showed patience and poise as he fought at his own pace and did not press for the KO. He ended the night when he landed a sharp, accurate counter right hand, highlighting the progress of his ring I.Q.

Arreola is hoping to reach the dream he believed he would have accomplished by now by beating Wilder in his hometown. Wilder is looking to defeat Arreola and keep ascending among the heavyweight ranks.

Saturday’s bout – Deontay Wilder vs Chris Arreola is the day one of these things happens, and only one.